evacuate

verb evac·u·ate \ i-ˈva-kyə-ˌwāt , -kyü-ˌāt \

|Updated on: 12 Aug 2018

Examples: evacuate in a Sentence

Definition of evacuate

evacuated; evacuating

transitive verb

1 : to remove the contents of : empty

2 : to discharge from the body as waste : void

3 : to remove something (such as gas or water) from especially by pumping

4 a : to remove especially from a military zone or dangerous area

b : to withdraw from military occupation of

c : vacate 1

were ordered to evacuate the building

intransitive verb

1 : to withdraw from a place in an organized way especially for protection

2 : to pass urine or feces from the body

—

evacuative

play \i-ˈva-kyə-ˌwā-tiv, -kyü-ˌā-\ adjective

See evacuate defined for English-language learners

See evacuate defined for kids

Examples of evacuate in a Sentence

People who live along the coast are being evacuated as the hurricane approaches.
During World War II, children were evacuated from London to the country.
Residents were ordered to evacuate the building.
Residents have been ordered to evacuate.

Recent Examples of evacuate from the Web

Police quickly asked residents to clear the scene and a local nursing home was evacuated.

— nikki battiste, CBS News, "Firefighter killed in Wisconsin explosion identified as father of twin daughters," 11 July 2018
Some of the thousands of residents who had been evacuated, some rescued from their rooftops, began cleaning up after the rain stopped Monday.

— mari yamaguchi, The Seattle Times, "Many out of power, water in flood-hit Japan; over 150 dead," 10 July 2018
But that operation would take another six days to start, and two more before all were evacuated.

— richard c. paddock, New York Times, "How Rescuers Pulled Off the Impossible in a Treacherous Thai Cave," 10 July 2018
By noon, 73 patients had passed through Pheriche, including three who were evacuated by air from camps higher up the mountain.

— alex hutchinson, Outside Online, "The Devastating Aftermath of an Avalanche on Everest," 6 July 2018
The National Park Service decided to shut down Liberty Island over security concerns around 3:30 p.m., and within an hour all 4,500 visitors had been evacuated.

— margaret hartmann, Daily Intelligencer, "Woman Climbs Statue of Liberty to Protest Family Separations, Island Shut Down," 5 July 2018
Officers immediately set a perimeter, and residents were evacuated, Doty said.

— janelle walker, Elgin Courier-News, "Officer shoots and kills man who injured 3 police officers in South Elgin," 4 July 2018
Police were preparing to serve a search warrant there Thursday night, and the building was evacuated.

— Anchorage Daily News, "Suspect in Capital Gazette shooting had sued paper for defamation," 29 June 2018
Anne Arundel County Police confirmed the shooting at the Capital Gazette’s offices, and the building was subsequently evacuated, according to the Baltimore Sun.

— german lopez, Vox, "Capital Gazette shooting in Annapolis, Maryland: what we know," 28 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'evacuate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.